More Beer Coming to Tacoma

7 Seas Brewing will open a second location in downtown Tacoma in spring 2016. Founders Mike Runion and Travis Guterson have bought the old historic Heidelberg Brewery which closed in 1979 after 75 years in business. It’s located in the heart of Tacoma’s historic brewery district and conveniently a few blocks away from the University of Washington Tacoma.

7 Seas Brewing bought the building from Chihuly studios, which stored artwork there. The 80,000- square-foot space will include a tap room and market, a large barrel-aging cellar, and a 60-barrel brew house and operations. The interior design will be similar to the original Gig Harbor location, with concrete, steel and warm woods. For Runion, having the new space is a dream come true.

“This project represents everything we love about our company, our community, and brewing history. As brewers dedicated to crafting and keeping our beers local, we cannot think of a better place to expand operations besides the historic Heidelberg Brewery,” he said in a statement.

Runion says they’ll continue to brew new beers both in the Tacoma and Gig Harbor location. The company typically has 17 beers on tap at their breweries. On Jan. 1, they’ll introduce a Red Rye Lager. So far, they’re unsure if they’ll have food at the new location.

7 Seas Brewing is proud support the revitalization of Tacoma’s brewery district. Mayor Strickland and Deputy Mayor David Boe were incredibly supportive in bringing 7 Seas to The City of Destiny.

“With new hotels, and the planned Town Center development, the 7 Seas Brewing project shows there is growing interest in downtown Tacoma,” said Deputy Mayor David Boe. “It is another important piece in the continued redevelopment of existing building stock in Tacoma.”

The McMenamin brothers are also currently working on revitalizing an old historic building in Tacoma. In 2012 they purchased Elks Lodge in downtown and plan to open it as a hotel, restaurant, and brewery in 2017. They are also negotiating with the city to develop Old City Hall.